Redemption
by linka53
Summary: Hey, so this popped into my head and I am finally getting around to writing it. This is basically a different version of what could happen in episode 14 of The Originals if Elijah and Marcel decided to call a certain someone from Klaus's past. Was going to make this a one-shot, but it's really too long to do that soo...
1. The Phone Call

**Hey, so this is actually the first full chapter. I discovered that it's really too long to make this a one-shot unless I make you guys wait like a month. Enjoy and please review!**

**New Orleans…**

Elijah stood staring out the window in the study of the compound. Without turning around, he said, "I can feel you staring at me. Give me a moment, I'm trying to think." Marcel growled before sighing and pacing the floor. Suddenly, Elijah turned around and said, "Marcel, didn't you say that Klaus seemed uncharacteristically happy last week?"

Marcel looked at Elijah as if he was insane and replied, "Well, yeah. Something happened in Mystic Falls. But how is that going to help us now?"

Elijah laughed quietly and muttered, "It's about time." Louder, he said to Marcel, "I think I know why he was so happy. It wasn't just about Katarina dying – actually, she might not have been involved at all." At Marcel's confused look, Elijah elaborated, "My brother does not care for many people, but there is one person in Mystic Falls that he does care for – he might even be in love with her. Caroline."

**Whitmore College…**

Caroline walked out of her dorm on her way to class just as her cell phone rang. She looked at the number and didn't recognize it so she pressed 'ignore' and turned it off since she was going to class anyway. Caroline thought that a drama major would be fun. Too bad Intro to Drama was all theory and consisted mainly of a teacher droning on at the front of a lecture hall. After suffering through an hour, the class was over and Caroline walked out of the room to go relax on front campus. She turned her phone on and saw that she had fifteen missed calls – all from the same mysterious number. As her phone rang again, she groaned and picked up. As she took a deep breath to start explaining the value of leaving a message to whoever was on the phone, the person on the other end began speaking. "Caroline? Oh thank God. Why didn't you pick up your phone?"

Caroline was stunned and replied, "Um, Elijah? Ok this it weird. Why are you calling me?"

Elijah replied cryptically, "We need your help and we don't have much time. Why didn't you pick up your phone?"

Caroline said irritably, "I was in class. And besides, I had no idea who it was. Who needs my help?"

Elijah replied hesitantly, "Klaus…I don't know what happened between you two but if you don't get down here there's a strong possibility that a lot of people will die."

Caroline groaned and replied, "I can't come to New Orleans! I'm in college. Plus, after his last visit, he promised to leave me alone and never come back if…you know what, that doesn't matter. I'm trying to live my life and as far as I'm concerned, the Klaus chapter closed the second he left. Besides, this is Klaus we're talking about. If he wants to kill people or vampires or werewolves or whatever, me being there isn't going to stop him. Now if you'll excuse me, I have college to get back to."

Just before she hung up, Elijah cried, "Caroline, wait! Please. If there is any chance of getting Klaus to reconsider we need you. You are the only one he might listen to."

Caroline sighed and muttered, "Damn you Originals and your English accents… Fine, I'll come. I still don't think it will help though."

Elijah sighed in relief, "Thank you. Your flight leaves in an hour and your ticket will be waiting for you at the gate. No need to pack – anything you need can be bought here. I'll be waiting for you at the terminal. Goodbye."

Caroline shouted quickly, "Wait, what? Elijah?" She looked at her phone and saw that the call had been disconnected. Shutting it she said exasperatedly, "I can't believe he just did that! And that I agreed…How the hell am I going to get to the airport in less than an hour?"


	2. The Arrival

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or places in this story. Just the plot and the bunnies that give it to me.**

Caroline stepped out of the plane into the New Orleans airport feeling slightly mollified. Despite herself, the first class ticket that Elijah had gotten for her had soothed her irritation. She bypassed baggage claim since she had no luggage and looked around the main lobby. Caroline huffed a sigh in irritation since she didn't see Elijah but was immediately distracted by a stranger waving at her. She cautiously approached the African-American man and asked, "Sorry, do I know you?'

The man shook his head quickly and replied, "No, but I know you. Elijah sent me to get you while he figures out the rest of the plan. I'm Marcel. You're Caroline right? Klaus always did have a thing for blondes."

Caroline rolled her eyes and replied, "He has a thing for anything female with a heartbeat. So, why exactly am I here?"

Marcel replied, "I can see why he likes you. You don't deal with any of his bullshit do you?" Anyway, he hasn't been with anyone since he came here – at least as far as I know. And you're here because Elijah thinks you might be able to keep Klaus from killing Rebekah and I – along with anyone who gets in his way. We don't exactly have a lot of time." With that, her began to lead her out of the airport to a black BMW convertible.

"Wait, hold on," Caroline said, "Why would he want to kill you and his sister? I mean, don't get me wrong Rebekah is one of my least favorite people, but I know Klaus loves his siblings more than anything else."

Marcel started the car and replied, "It's because of something Rebekah and I did in the early 1900s. We called the person he hates the most. Mikael."

**Ok, so I know this was really short, but when I updated the first chapter it didn't show it as being changed in terms of date. This is for all of you who follow my story but didn't leave a review. I couldn't message you so I wanted to get something so you would know to keep reading. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	3. The Surprise

**Finally a new chapter! Turns out plane rides can actually be productive. Anyway, Caroline gets a big surprise in this chapter. Enjoy!**

"You did WHAT?!" Caroline screeched as Marcel pulled into the driveway of a gorgeous old plantation house. Marcel sighed deeply and got out of the car. He started walking towards the house and motioned for her to follow. Momentarily distracted by the grandeur before her eyes, Caroline remained silent as they walked inside. Once she remembered why she was there however, she started ranting again. "Why the _hell_ would you call Mikael? He's a sociopath! You're lucky he's dead."

"Wait a second," Marcel said, "Mikael's dead? How? When?"

"Oh, right…" Caroline said sheepishly, "Um, well about a year ago, my friends wanted nothing more than to kill Klaus so we tricked Rebekah into finding out how and she told us about Mikael. Katherine found us – " As Marcel opened his mouth to interrupt she quickly said, "She's not important. And she helped us find Mikael, he came to town, almost killed Klaus – and the rest of us – before we all managed to kill him with a white oak stake. I'm pretty sure Klaus has that now…" She trailed off as she saw the dumbfounded look on Marcel's face. "What?"

"You killed Mikael. No wonder Klaus likes you."

Caroline rolled her eyes, "I barely had anything to with it. I just kept Elena away. Damon, Stefan, and Klaus did the rest. So why did you call him and how are you still alive."

Marcel looked down at the ground sheepishly, "It was right after World War I. I had just come back and everything here was going great. Klaus was happy for once, the vampires were getting along with everyone else in the quarter, and Elijah and Rebekah were here too. Did you know that I've had a thing for her since I was a child? Anyway, I basically told her I'd do anything for her and she said that the only way we could be together was to run Klaus out of town, ergo Mikael. She knew a witch who cast the spell for us. Unfortunately, Klaus decided to be benevolent and let us be together so we tried to fix it. It was too late and the witch decided she wanted to tell Klaus. Obviously, he was going to kill us so Rebekah caused the witch to get sick with the Spanish influenza. She's back, probably to tell Klaus and get revenge, and once Klaus finds out he's gonna kill us."

"Hold up, "Caroline said, "How is she back? My friend Bonnie did that and the spirits deserted her."

Marcel said, "This is New Orleans. The witches have a lot of power here. Besides, some old witch Elijah knew inhabited the body of one of the witches – she's been body-jumping since she almost got drowned – and changed this ritual so instead of the four girls that were killed during the reaping…" At this a heartbroken look crossed his face. "Long story short, instead of four teenage girls coming back, four old witches – all of whom have a grudge against the Mikaelson family, came back instead. We killed the Haitian and Sabine. Now it's just Genevieve and the old lady. Genevieve is the immediate problem for the moment. She's got Klaus and Rebekah held hostage in the old hospital where she died."

Caroline sat down in a nearby chair, overwhelmed by all she'd just heard. Given what had just happened a few weeks ago, she knew she shouldn't be here. Talk about mixed signals. However, she also knew that Klaus was still capable of being saved and that he would regret it for the rest of eternity if he killed his sister. Caroline groaned and said, "Okay, I'll help you. Where's Elijah? I can't exactly help Klaus like this. Plus, it's way warmer down here than it is in Virginia." She gestured to her sweater and jeans.

Marcel gave a relieved sigh and said, "He's upstairs with Hayley. Come on."

Caroline was shocked and replied, "Wait a second, Hayley's here? Why?" The reason became evident as the two walked into the study where Elijah and a very pregnant Hayley were waiting. Caroline gasped and said, "How…"

Hayley smiled slightly and said, "Hey Caroline." Elijah stood up and said, "I take it my brother didn't tell you about this latest development when he went to go see you and Katarina. Did he ever see her in the end by the way?"

Caroline was simply standing, still stupefied, "No, he didn't see her. Are you saying that Klaus is – I can't believe I'm saying this – Klaus is about to have a kid? With _her_?"

"Ah," said Elijah quietly, "right, you two have history. Yes, Niklaus is going to have a child. And as to how, he's part werewolf. Werewolves, as I'm sure you know, can have children. The child is a hybrid. I'll explain in more detail later if you wish. Right now, we have to save my sister."

**Let me know what you think! Please review!**

**P.S. I'm going to create a 'reunion' outfit for Caroline on polyvore. I'll post it on my profile when it's done so be on the lookout for that as well.**


	4. The Plan

**Surprise! lucky for me (and you) long plane rides are extremely productive. Enjoy this new chapter. **

A stunned Caroline let Elijah lead her to another room. As she came out of her stupor, she noticed that it was a bedroom. Then, she noticed the half-finished painting by the window. Caroline turned to Elijah and said, "This is _his_ room, isn't it?" Elijah nodded apprehensively, as if she would refuse the room. She heaved a sigh and walked slowly over to the bed. Noticing the outfit, she turned to Elijah with a questioning look.

Elijah shrugged sheepishly and replied, "Living with a sister for a millennium has its perks. The dress should fit. Plus, judging from the dress that my brother gave to you for that horrendous ball of my mother's…he likes the way you look in blue. It brings out your eyes."

Caroline blushed slightly at the compliment and replied, "Is there anywhere I could shower? I feel all plane-y. You can tell me the rest of the plan after."

Elijah nodded and replied, "Through the door on your left. I made sure to stock it with things for girls. I didn't think you would want to smell like Klaus." Caroline smiled and went to the bathroom with the dress in hand. After she had closed the door and turned the water on, Elijah muttered, "Plane-y…" to himself and rolled his eyes before leaving the room.

20 minutes later…

Caroline came downstairs in her new outfit with her hair up in a bun so it wouldn't drip on the dress. She found Elijah in a room off to the side that apparently served as a kitchen. She raised an eyebrow inquisitively and Elijah explained, "We keep blood bags in here. Plus, Hayley needs food and milk for the baby." Caroline nodded and replied, "Right, the baby…can I?" She motioned to the fridge.

Elijah nodded and said, "Of course." He waited for Caroline to sit down and open the bag before he spoke again, "So, the plan. While you were freshening up, Marcel remembered where the witch worked before Rebekah killed her. It is now an abandoned asylum. We think that's where she's holding Rebekah and Klaus. If we don't hurry, Klaus will have heard the whole story and might get to Rebekah before we get to him. So basically, we're all going to go there except Hayley. You and I will find Klaus as quickly as possible while Marcel hangs back. You will distract Klaus and Marcel will get Rebekah out of there.

Caroline nodded and asked, "So, how am I supposed to distract him? And if you say with my looks I will hurt you – Original vampire or not."

Elijah laughed and looked at her with respect, "I like you. You're strong."

Caroline rolled her eyes and said, "You're brother said the same thing."

Elijah smiled, "As for how you are supposed to distract him, it will be with your looks." As Caroline glared at him he continued, "But more than that just talk to him. Given how he feels about you, he won't ignore you. Nor will he try to kill you. Ask him what's wrong. It's not in his nature to ignore a question. He will start ranting and hopefully that will give us enough time to rescue Rebekah. I'm hoping you might also be able to dissuade him from killing her? Of course that part's up to you. He doesn't listen to me but he might listen to you."

Caroline sat silently for a few minutes while she absorbed all the information. "Okay, " she finally said, "Give me five minutes and we can go." With that she ran upstairs and Elijah called Marcel down. Caroline returned to them five minutes later and Elijah noted that she had pulled her hair into the same kind of style it had been in when she went to the ball. After the three shared tense smiles, the walked out the door and headed to the asylum.

**Please let me know what you think! And I promise there will be some Klaroline action in the next chapter...**


	5. Reunion

**Sorry this took longer than I said it would! Don't be mad at me. As promised, Klaus and Caroline reunite!**

As they pulled up to the asylum, Caroline began to have second thoughts. "Um, Elijah, Marcel?" she said, "I'm starting to think this is a really bad idea. I mean, yeah, I don't want Klaus to kill Rebekah and sure, seeing me might make him pause for a second but I really don't think it will stop him in the long run. Plus, if we do keep him from killing her right now he'll probably get really pissed and decide to kill the rest of us as well as her later. Anyway, this place looks like the set of a horror movie which I realize sounds really weird since we're all vampires but that just seems like a really, really bad idea. Couldn't you just like, call his phone and get him out here or something?" Marcel and Elijah stared at her for a minute before bursting out in laughter.

Elijah recovered first and said, "Caroline, I forgot how much you ramble. That's another quality my brother finds endearing. Anyway, this will work. It has to."

Marcel nodded and continued, "He's right. From the way he was acting after his little visit, there is no way he won't talk to you. And he won't hurt you later either. Go on inside. I'll be out here listening. Good luck."

Caroline groaned, "Fine." She and Elijah began walking towards the doors. As they walked inside, the two began listening for Klaus and Rebekah. Luckily, they had spent enough time around both to know the small differences between them. "Rebekah is down here somewhere," Caroline said, "You go look for her. Klaus is on the…third floor? I'll go get him. Keep listening for me and once he's distracted, get her out of here. Elijah nodded tensely and headed down the hall in the direction he had heard Rebekah's heartbeat. Caroline sighed, "Here goes nothing" and headed up the stairs, Klaus's heartbeat getting stronger as she climbed.

As she emerged onto the third floor, she turned as a door opened. An enraged Klaus came storming out and stopped short when he caught sight of her. "Caroline?" Klaus said breathlessly, looking like he had seen a ghost. Caroline wasn't quite sure what to say and ended up with, "Um…Hi?" Klaus said her name again and vamp-sped to her side before gathering her in a hug. Just as Caroline was beginning to enjoy it, he stepped back and said, "I'm sorry. I forgot my promise for a moment."

Caroline smiled slightly and said, "It's no problem. Anyway, I came here, not the other way around. So, let me guess, you found out something about Rebekah that happened like a century ago and now you're pissed off and want to kill her." Klaus looked at her, "How did you…?" Caroline answered, "Elijah called me. I just have one question. Why do you want to kill Rebekah?"

Klaus's murderous expression came back and he shouted, "She called Mikael. She called my father so that he would kill me and lied to me when he showed up." Caroline nodded and replied, "So did I." Klaus stared at her and she continued, "About a year ago, _me and my friends_ called him. We wanted to kill you. And we almost succeeded. You know that. So, why am I still alive? If you kill Rebekah for killing Mikael, you might as well just kill me. That would be the logical thing to do, right?"

Klaus sighed and replied, "You know I can't do that. I'm in love with you, I could never hurt you – let alone kill you."

Caroline replied, "And you love your sister. Don't try to deny it, I know you do. So just talk to her and find out why she did what she did."

Klaus ran a hand through his hair and said, "I know why she called him. The witch showed me. She wanted to be with Marcel and she feared that I would not let them be with each other so she tried to get me out of the way…"

Caroline sighed and said, "So let it go. I doubt that she was trying to kill you. Besides, she still stuck by you for the last hundred years – even if she was trapped in a box for most of that time. Plus, you were kind of being a jerk by not allowing her to be with the guy she loved."

Klaus looked at her dumbfounded before saying, "I missed this." When she looked at him confused, he continued, "You calling me out. Not letting me get away with my behaviour when you know it's wrong…I missed it."

She smiled and said shyly, "Well, isn't that why you love me? That's why Elijah called me here. He was hoping I could talk you off the ledge. So? Will you let your sister live?"

Klaus looked down for a minute before staring into her eyes and saying, "On one condition. You spend the rest of the week with me and let me show you all that New Orleans has to offer."

Caroline laughed and replied, "Well, I came all this way. Might as well." Klaus smiled and kissed her before grabbing her hand and leading her out of the building.

**What do you think? I could end the story here or I could continue it. Your choice. Let me know in a review and if you have any questions don't hesitate to PM me!**


	6. Beta Reader Request

Hello faithful readers. I'm in the middle of my latest chapter, but I was hoping to get someone else to read over it for me. My normal beta reader doesn't watch TVD or The Originals so she cant really help me with this one If you want to please review so I can send you the story.


	7. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

Hello all! Sorry, no new chapter yet. I'm in the middle of writing the next chapter and wanted to know if there was anything specific that you wanted Klaus to show Caroline as they are exploring New Orleans currently. I know it's close to Mardi Gras, but this story exists in the fall for the time being. Please let me know of your suggestions in a review. And, partially for your patience and partially because this chapter has several days within it, it will be exceedingly long. It's already several pages and I'm not even close to finished.

Again, review with your suggestions!


	8. Day 1

**Tada! I finally finished the new chapter so enjoy!**

Caroline awoke to sunlight streaming through the open window that faced the bed. As an arm tightened around her, she smiled thinking of Klaus's reaction to her sudden appearance the day before. Once they left the asylum, he flatly refused to let her out of his sight. That followed until they went to bed and although they didn't do anything, he pretty much ordered her to sleep in his bed. As Klaus's arm tightened around Caroline once more, she heard a mumbled, "I love you…" Stifling a laugh, Caroline rolled over and smiled at the still sleeping Klaus. She marveled at how different he looked when he was asleep. He was still gorgeous of course, but he looked less worried – almost serene. It was a good look for him.

Caroline was jolted out of her thoughts by a low chuckle. She looked up and saw Klaus's eyes staring at her in amusement. She blushed at the fact that she had been caught staring. Klaus laughed again and said, "Good morning love. Not that I don't appreciate the staring, but sadly we do have to get up. I need to talk to my siblings and I really would like to show you some of my favorite parts of New Orleans."

Caroline blushed again and replied, "Good morning. And I would love to see the city. Unfortunately, I don't really have any clothes." At the confused look Klaus adopted she continued, "Your brother was so desperate to get me here he set my flight for an hour after he called me. And he insisted that anything I needed could be bought here.

Klaus nodded slowly, "Fair point. No matter, I'm sure we can find something for you. Or you could just wear yesterday's outfit until we go shopping. I'll make that the first stop on our trip. After my siblings, of course." Caroline smiled, relieved and nodded.

She then stood up and searched for her dress. Feeling Klaus's gaze on her she turned and smiled. "See something you like?" she asked pirouetting slowly so he could see every angle of her in nothing but one of his shirts. Her dress wasn't exactly comfortable to sleep in. Klaus nodded slowly with a peculiar light in his eyes. She laughed, "Come on and get dressed. The sooner we finish with your brother and sister, the sooner you can begin trying to convince me to stay here."

In less than a second, he was next to her, peering at her with a half-hopeful, half-resigned expression on his face. "Do you mean that?" he asked, "There's actually a chance that you might stay with me?" Caroline bit her lip and nodded slowly. She shrieked with surprise as Klaus picked her up and spun her around before silencing her with a passionate kiss. "Well, in that case," Klaus continued, "let's go!" Caroline laughed as he pulled her out of the room after they had both gotten dressed. As they drove to his house (the new one, not the compound), he talked about all the things he wanted to show her during the week. "Unfortunately, I don't think there's a festival this week, but if you stay that won't be a problem. There must be one at least once a month. The witches kind of have a lot of power here."

Caroline nodded and replied, "Your friend Marcel mentioned something about that. By the way, how on earth did dead witches come back to life? Doesn't someone have to die for that to happen?"

Klaus nodded shortly and answered, "It's this thing called the reaping. Every few years, the witches choose four teenage girls and sacrifice them." At Caroline's horrified look he continued, "They come back to life at this thing they call the harvest. Apparently, the girls have to be sacrificed to renew the witches' ties to their ancestors. It's what gives them their power. Instead of the girls coming back to life, Sabine – a very old, dead witch – caused four other dead witches who have a grudge against my family to come back."

Caroline nodded, "And why does Sabine hate you?"

Klaus sighed, "She was with Elijah the first time my family lived here. I wasn't exactly fond of witches. I drowned her but she did this body jump thing and has been living like that for the past 150 years or so. To be honest, I'm a little surprised she held the grudge that long."

Caroline sighed, "Well, you did kill her. Although, trying to kill you and your whole family is a bit overkill…" Her voice trailed off as they pulled into the driveway of a gorgeous plantation house. "Ok," Caroline asked, "How do you afford all these houses? I mean, I know your rich but you still have the two mansions in Mystic Falls and I'm pretty sure you have several other places around the world since you did offer to take me places."

Klaus laughed and replied, "Well, being able to compel the realtor does have some perks. And being alive for thousands of years helps with the whole making a fortune idea. Besides, Marcel owns the compound now." He opened the car door for her and said, "Come on. I need to talk to my brother and sister so we can go have fun. And get you some new clothes if we must."

Caroline laughed before looking slightly anxious, "Are you sure I should go with you? I mean this is going to be a difficult enough conversation without an outsider hanging around. "

Klaus stopped walking to the house and looked seriously at her. "You aren't an outsider Caroline."

Caroline smiled and replied, "All the same, this is a family thing. You need to talk to them alone. I'll just hang out here." Klaus still looked conflicted so Caroline gave him an encouraging smile and sat down on the porch swing while she motioned for him to go inside. After he went inside, Caroline sat completely still, just absorbing the tranquility the scenery allowed her. She was slightly worried about Klaus, but heard no yelling so she assumed it couldn't be going too badly.

Klaus came back outside after a half hour. Caroline smiled up at him and asked, "So how did it go?" Klaus groaned and replied, "As good as could be expected I guess." He lifted her and gathered her into his arms before sighing again and burying his face in her hair. "I'm exhausted, " he added.

Caroline laughed slightly at him before gently teasing, "I thought vampires didn't get tired?"

Klaus glowered playfully at her and replied, "It's an expression." He was unable to hold his pout as Caroline laughed and broke into a smile. "Seriously though," he said, "talking to Rebekah and Elijah was draining. But enough about that. I believe you wanted to go shopping?" Caroline perked up at this and grabbed his hand, practically dragging him to the car. Klaus burst into a laugh. Her enthusiasm was infectious.

Ten minutes later, they stopped not in front of a mall but in front of a small boutique that Caroline noticed had some very cute clothes in the front windows. Although she liked the clothes, she was slightly confused. "Uh, Klaus? Why aren't we going to the mall?" she asked. Klaus smiled slightly and replied, "Well, for one thing, the mall is rather packed and I would rather not be surrounded by so many humans." Caroline grimaced slightly and nodded. He continued, "And secondly, this is one of Rebekah's favorite stores. She recommended it after she finally stopped berating Elijah for not letting you pack before coming here. Apparently, girls don't like to be without at least one change of outfits. She says thank you, by the way."

Caroline smiled and got out of the car saying, "Well, in that case, I'm going shopping. Do you want to come or do you have something to do…" Klaus replied, "As much as I would enjoy watching you try on clothes, I do need to plan out our week." With that he pulled out his wallet, handed her his gold card, and said, "Call me when you're done and I'll come to pick you up." He drove off before Caroline had a chance to protest the use of his card. Shaking her head in fond exasperation, she turned around and entered the store.

Despite her earlier reservations, Caroline liked the store after she entered. In fact, within a minute, she had already found several clothing options that suited her style. One of the clerks came up and asked cheerfully, "Do you need help finding anything?" After Caroline had shook her head the clerk continued, "Well, if you change your mind, don't hesitate to ask. My name is Nicole and the other clerk, Kimberly, will be happy to help as well." She turned to walk away before adding, "The fitting rooms are in the back on the right by the way." She smiled and turned away to help another customer. Caroline looked around and started grabbing clothes that she could take into the fitting rooms. She grabbed mostly casual clothes with a few dressy outfits and some, ahem, private things specifically reserved for when she was alone with Klaus. The shop had amazing variety. After she had an armload of clothes, she walked into the dressing room. It didn't take her long to try everything on. She walked out with the clothes she had decided to buy and called over to Nicole. "I was wondering…" she said, "would it be possible for me to walk out in some of the clothes I'm buying? Coming here was kind of spur of the moment and I would really like to get out of this dress." Nicole smiled conspiratorially and asked, "Boyfriend whisk you away on a romantic getaway?" Caroline laughed nervously and replied, "Not exactly, but that makes more sense than the real reason I came here with no clothes." At the clerk's confused expression she continued, "It's a long, slightly unbelievable story." Nicole shrugged and replied, "Ok, then. Let me just ring you up and then you can change into whatever you want to wear." Within a few minutes, Caroline had all her purchases and was changed into a light blue top and white skinny jeans with a jean jacket. Her dress and the shoes were in one of the bags filled with her purchases. As the clerk was ringing her up, Caroline had texted Klaus to tell him that she was done shopping. She walked outside just as he was pulling in.

When Klaus saw her, he started smiling and Caroline could feel his approval of her clothing choice flowing off of him. She smiled back as she got in the car and asked, "So what's on the agenda for today?" Klaus's smile grew and he replied, "Well, love, I thought we might visit one of the museums this lovely city has to offer. You know art is a passion of mine and, if I recall correctly, you seemed to enjoy it at my mother's hideous ball." She grimaced slightly before replying, "Yes, that was a high point of the evening – well, that and the horse. Everything pretty much went downhill after that…" Klaus laughed and replied, "Ah yes, the horse. Anyway, enough about terrible times. Are you ready to go?" Caroline nodded and he pulled out of the parking lot.

They pulled into the New Orleans Museum of Art half an hour later. "So, " Caroline asked as Klaus opened her door for her, "Are any of your pieces on display?" Klaus gave her a slightly sad smile and replied, "Sadly, no. We had to run before the museum was built. Regardless, the museum has a wonderful collection of exhibits that rotate throughout the year. They have special events once in a while, but for the most part the pieces stay the same. I believe the current exhibit is called 'Art in Bloom'. I think you'll enjoy it." As he was talking they were walking towards the entrance of the museum. When they reached the entrance, Klaus pulled out his wallet and paid for their admission. At Caroline's questioning look, he said, "Like I said, art is my passion. It's also dying. Museums like this need as much help as possible so I prefer to pay rather than just compel my way into them." Caroline smiled approvingly and they continued into the main gallery. After admiring the various paintings Caroline fully approved of Klaus's idea to bring her to the museum. Being a bright and bubbly person, she completely enjoyed the bright, vaguely floral paintings. About an hour after they had arrived, they continued outside to the Sculpture Garden. Klaus tensed slightly because there were more people enjoying the sunny day in this area but a touch on his arm from Caroline was all it took to make him relax. They wandered around and Caroline took several pictures of sculptures that she thought were particularly interesting.

Around five, they headed back to the compound and Klaus made an actual dinner, rather than just drinking blood. He made pasta with a creamy tomato sauce and actually pulled out a bottle of wine along with the blood that he had in the house. Klaus normally drank from humans, but he knew Caroline didn't and wanted to respect her choices. As they ate, Klaus informed Caroline of the events he had planned for the rest of the week. They would be sightseeing some more with activities such as going to the zoo and the aquarium, but Klaus had another surprise for her. "I've also scheduled a tour at Tulane University." He said. At Caroline's confused look he elaborated, "Due to our last conversation, I'm assuming you want to continue going to college. Tulane is only fifteen minutes away from this area so if you decide to stay, I feel that it would be a logical choice." When Caroline's look didn't change, he continued hurriedly, "Of course, if you decide not to stay…" A pained look crossed his face, "Well, it is still a beautiful campus and it wouldn't hurt to take a look, right?"

Caroline stood up silently and crossed to wear he was sitting. She sat down on his lap surprising him and said, "Thank you. Honestly, I hadn't really thought about college here and I really didn't think you remembered that little tidbit from a few weeks ago – especially given what happened afterward." She smiled sheepishly at his smirk. He was obviously remembering the more pleasurable part of their encounter in the woods. She continued, "It means a lot that you would try to make sure that I can continue to live as a human while I am with you." Klaus beamed and kissed her. He then picked her up making her squeal and flashed up the stairs to his bedroom. As he set her down gently on the bed, he said, "I can think of another human activity for us to try." Caroline burst out laughing until he silenced her with another kiss.

**Yeah, not quite happy with how I ended that but I'm not really comfortable writing the M-rated stuff, not to mention the fact that this story is rated T. I'll leave it to you to imagine how they spent their night. If anyone has any information about New Orleans, please let me know. I'm trying to make it realistic. Read and review with your thoughts!**


	9. AN

**Author's Note**

The next chapter is coming soon I promise. However, I have a couple questions so if anyone knows the answers, please review and let me know! First off, are there dolphins at the Audubon Aquarium. I'm actually doing research for most of the stuff Klaroline will be doing. Secondly, is there anything about Tulane that I should include? Something special? This one is for anyone. What are Caroline's favorite animals? Include sea creatures if you want. It can be completely up to you.

So, if you have any answers or opinions for me, please review! And again, the next chapter should be up by the end of next week.


	10. Day 2

**A rather short chapter this time I'm afraid. Still, it should have enough fluff to satisfy you. Caroline's outfit is posted on my polyvore page. Directions to that are posted on my profile, but just in case all you have to do is go to the site and type in my ****pen name. You can see all the outfits that way. Enjoy!**

Caroline woke up the next morning with a kiss to her forehead followed by one to her mouth. She opened her eyes and smiled at Klaus. "Good morning sweetheart," he said. Caroline kissed him again and replied in kind, "Good morning. What's on the agenda for today?" Pulling her slightly so she would sit up, he replied, "How about a visit to the aquarium?" Caroline pondered this for a moment and replied, "Do they have sea otters? They're my favorite." Klaus laughed slightly and nodded. Caroline hopped up and exclaimed, "Perfect! Just let me get dressed. Then we can grab a quick bite and –" As Klaus burst out laughing, she groaned, "It's an expression and you know it. I don't drink from humans!"

Klaus finally managed to stop laughing and replied, "I know, I know. It's just the way you said it…" He trailed off at Caroline's glare. Beating a hasty retreat toward the bedroom door, he said, "I'll just heat you up a fresh bag then?" He closed the door behind him just as Caroline playfully threw a pillow at it. After he left, Caroline put on a simple white dress and paired it with some light green and blue jewelry to add a pop of color. Putting on her new sky-blue pumps, she followed Klaus out the bedroom and downstairs. After a quick breakfast, they left for the aquarium. Caroline was enjoying the light breeze from the convertible when Klaus put the top up. Caroline looked at him confused, "What's wrong?"

Klaus gestured vaguely to the sky, "Just as well we're going to the aquarium today. It's going to start raining within minutes at this rate." Caroline looked up at the steadily gathering grey clouds and Klaus continued, "You've never experienced a southern storm before, but trust me. You'll want to be inside when it hits. It'll pour, but it should die out by the end of the day." Caroline shrugged and, as they pulled into the aquarium parking lot, read aloud, "The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. Catchy title." Klaus chuckled and opened the door for her before ushering her towards the entrance with another wary glance towards the heavens.

"So," he asked, "Would you prefer a tour, or to wander around on your own?" Caroline thought for a minute, "Could we do a tour first? We can always go around on our own later, but I don't want to miss anything." Klaus nodded and gestured towards one of the uniformed employees. Within minutes, they were off. The tour guide shared some information about the aquarium, such as they fact they it boasted a grand total of around 15,000 sea creatures. Caroline spent a full five minutes watching the sea otters play before they were able to continue, with Klaus promising that they would come back to see them before they left. As they passed through the white alligator exhibit, the tour guide remarked, "If you believe in superstitions, white alligators are supposed to be a sign of good luck…" Her tone made it clear she didn't agree with that statement. Klaus and Caroline shared a secret smile. After all, vampires fit in that same category of superstitions. They passed through a smallish room in which aquarium-goers could touch live sharks. The couple did once and left quickly. The sharks had a rather sand papery skin. The tour guide left them at the entrance to a tunnel saying, "This is the Caribbean Reef tunnel. It's about thirty feet long and will end back at the front of the building. Enjoy the rest of your day!"

Caroline and Klaus laughed slightly at her overly cheerful demeanor and walked slowly through the tunnel hand in hand. Once in a while, one of them would remark on an interesting fish or sea creature that they saw. Just before they left the tunnel, Caroline saw a sea turtle swimming slowly close to the sand. "You know," she said to Klaus, "I've heard people say that sea turtles are good luck too…" Klaus smiled and replied, "Good news for us. We've had two good luck symbols in one day." Caroline laughed and they continued through the rest of the tunnel. Once they exited, they walked back through a few exhibits including the sea horses gallery, to watch the jewel-bright animals, and, of course, the sea otters. As they passed the gift shop on their way out, Klaus asked Caroline to wait a moment for him. She agreed and he came out of the shop five minutes later with a sea otter stuffed animal which he presented to her. She giggled and kissed him on the cheek before following him out to the car.

When they arrived home, she set the stuffed animal on the chair next to their bed and proclaimed him 'Vapor'. Klaus rolled his eyes good-naturedly and suggested they go downstairs to watch the rest of the storm from the screened-in porch. Caroline readily agreed and they spent the rest of the afternoon cuddling and watching the storm. After it died down, they returned to the kitchen where Klaus again prepared dinner, a _very_ rare steak and garlic-mashed potatoes this time, with a mix of blood and wine to drink. After cleaning up, they retired to their room where they spent some quality time with each other before going to sleep.

** Tomorrow is the zoo. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought!**


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